Men's Health > Steroids > Andro

Andro

Summertime means baseball time. Time to oil your glove, stretch your hamstrings and stock up on Cracker Jacks and androstenedione as evidenced by the latest Congressional quizzing of MLB studly sluggers.

As you probably already know, Andro was just one of many supplements quietly used by bodybuilders and strength athletes until a reporter in the St. Louis Cardinals clubhouse saw a bottle of the stuff in Mark McGwire's locker. When the news got out that Big Mac was taking andro, all hell broke loose. ESPN pulled commercials for the product, while some commentators demanded that an "andro asterisk" be placed next to McGwire's name in the record books.

Androstenedione

Much of what has been said about androstenedione has been distorted by the press looking for a story, the vitamin industry looking for a profit, and even scientific types looking for a little limelight. Will andro turn you into a massive-biceped, home-run-hitting hero? Not a chance -- yet that doesn't mean it's useless. New evidence suggests that andro's real strengths lie not on the field, but in the bedroom.

Like testosterone, androstenedione is classified as an androgen, a class of steroids that occur naturally in your body. These are the hormones responsible for a deep voice, strong sex drive, body hair, muscular build, etc. Produced in the testes and the adrenal glands, andro is primarily converted into the more biologically potent testosterone. That's why andro is called a "precursor."

Athletes have used male hormones for years to increase their mass, strength and performance. Testosterone and its chemical derivatives -- anabolic steroids -- build muscle, though at the risk of a host of side effects, including heart and liver problems. Since testosterone is currently banned by several athletic organizations as a performance-enhancing drug, people began taking andro hoping that it would convert to testosterone. However, this process is complex and can differ substantially from one guy to the next. For example, andro can also convert to estrogen, which can lead to male breast development.

If your body does convert andro into testosterone, it may be further metabolized into a substance called dihydrotestosterone. The conversion of testosterone to DHT is responsible for increases in facial and body hair, abnormal growth of the prostate and male hair loss. If you're concerned about losing your hair, you don't want extra hormones circulating in your body, especially since an increase in testosterone doesn't guarantee an anabolic response in your muscles.

Drew Voight